Why you should mix your training up

The great thing about staying active is there are literally unlimited options at your disposal. It’s easy to modify, swap or choose a different type of workout or activity.

But we humans are not clones, so we’re not all going to like or even 
be able to take on the same challenges when it comes to 
fitness.

Let’s also not forget that 
we change throughout our lives. Our body types and life circumstances evolve as we grow older and we 
may sustain injuries that prevent 
us from taking on a certain activity, so we adapt to a new regime that works for us individually.

What I’ve learnt as I grow older, and also from teaching others, is that it’s vital we enjoy what we’re doing, otherwise, what’s the point?

We spend the majority of our time on life’s treadmill, so our release and time for ourselves needs to be something we look forward to rather than dread. Fitness should never be a punishment.

Being a cardio junkie in my younger years, I sustained a knee injury meaning I had to reduce the impact, introduce more resistance training, and take on more restorative classes like yoga and Pilates.

I wasn’t just teaching my body new tricks, but I was also stimulating my mind in different ways and I used to come out of the gym buzzing. It taught me that I didn’t need to come out dripping with sweat to see changes in my physique and strength.

I once again changed up my routine when I fell pregnant. And once I’d had kids and started teaching others full time, I found that shorter, more manageable workouts were better for me. Fitting in 3hr runs, 90min yoga sessions and 60min spin classes became a thing of the past.

Why and how mixing up training is beneficial

You’ve reached a plateau

You may no longer be seeing the results you want. This lack of progress is your body adjusting and mastering the training you’ve been doing.

Your brain is learning how best to use the muscles you need, and it’s then up to you to learn new exercises and movements to foster growth and development.

Prevent injury

The downside of specificity (training one area or discipline specifically over and over again to become stronger or more adept) is the potential danger of a repetitive strain injury. If you end up doing lots of repetitive motions like running, hitting a ball, kicking, boxing, or swimming, this type of injury can occur.

If you mix up the activities, you give those muscles, joints and ligaments time to rest and recover. It will also allow you to stay in shape while you heal if you’ve sustained an injury. Once you start back up again, make sure to be slow and steady before returning to previous levels of intensity.

Build new muscles

Pro athletes build specific muscles to become more successful in their chosen sport. However, for the average exerciser and my clients, I recommend doing a little of everything.

Not only does the variety keep them motivated, but the endurance is known to build cardiovascular health and the strength training builds muscles in legs, arms and torso.

This improves overall appearance by giving tone to the body and improves their ability to carry out their functions as well as other sports activities. Of course, triathlon training is ideal for this.

Beat boredom

We’ve all been there, where you clock watch in a class or on a cross trainer. If you find you’re getting bored every time, it’s a sign you’re about to lose motivation pretty quickly. This is the time to research some new classes or types of workouts.

By trying something you’ve been eyeing up on the timetable or your Facebook feed, you might just find it changes your whole outlook on fitness – and even life!

However, if you love what you’re doing but it’s getting a bit stale, tweak things slightly. Change up the goal or the settings so you could be doing hill climbs, or sprint intervals, keeping it a bit more dynamic and leaving you feeling more energised afterwards.

Keep your brain ticking

Learning a new skill will fire up neurons so this is helping your brain health as well as your physical health.

Choosing a class that requires skill and memorisation is always good as it will keep you engaged rather than switching off. It’s important to keep going regularly to reap the long-term benefits of mental stimulation and sustained physical improvement.

Meet new people

Another way to keep you motivated is to find others to exercise with, whether it’s a gym buddy, a class or a swim, bike or run group.

This will not only keep you committed but the social interaction and encouragement from others will also leave you feeling positive, upbeat and excited about coming back.

Maintain your mojo

Losing your fitness mojo can come as a result of doing too much consecutively, having too many days off, or simply by having too much going on in our lives. This is definitely time to make a change.

Slow it down if that’s what’s needed, find a new workout that you enjoy, look into getting a personal trainer that suits you, start putting workouts in your calendar, download a new fitness app, or even try posting on social media every time you hit an achievement.

A few changes might just be what’s needed to see the results and feel happier in the process.

Consider the frequency, intensity and duration

1. Either increase or decrease the training sessions per week, but make sure you’re not overloading certain 
muscle groups or losing 
gains too much.
2. Change up the intensity by increasing 
speed, adding repetitions or rounds, 
including interval bursts, adding weights 
or upping your weights. Make sure to leave enough time for recovery.
3. Make alterations to the length of time 
you’re working out. If you’ve increased 
the intensity, shorten the duration. However, if it’s an endurance test, try decreasing the intensity by 10-20% so you 
can carry out the exercise for longer. These low-intensity, steady-state workouts help prevent cardiovascular illnesses and help 
you perform better in the long run.

Take a break

Maybe you need to include a few more rest days, switch up the days you’re training, or perhaps stop the classes that are causing fatigue, injury or boredom. Your mind and body might just appreciate this change and time out, and will usually tell you when it’s time to step back.

Cardio vs resistance

Pure cardio isn’t always the best for muscles and joints so add in some strength training and it may actually improve your performance.

On the flipside, there are many cardio haters who prefer to be lifting weights or doing squats. It’s always good to include some ‘heart healthy’ activity for an added fitness boost and to help gain muscle. My recommendation? Combine 
for the win.

Top image credit: Getty Images